Peer Support Presentation
Young Achievers from Papanui High School Extend Their Thanks
Why are these Papanui Rotarians all standing around huddled together? It is a Peer Support Exercise that worked for us the same way as it works for new students when they start at Papanui High School.
Five inspiring young people and teacher Leah World visited Papanui Rotary to thank us for supporting some great initiatives at Papanui High School which help students achieve their dreams.
We first heard about the New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge (NZBBC) which is a competition for Year 11 students to learn about the brain and its functions, hear the latest discoveries in neuroscience research, dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses and find out about the exciting career opportunities brain research has to offer.
After a great deal of study, Sophie and Phoebe were selected to enter round two of NZBBC at Otago University. They worked their own brains hard, had a lot of fun, formed new friendships and gained knowledge during the many challenges the competition presented.
Cassie, Yoonki and Pippa are three of about 80 students each year who apply to become Peer Support Leaders (PSLs), who support Year 9 students as they make the transition into high school. Peer Support is valuable for new students to assimilate into their new environment and meet their classmates.
PSLs believe that ‘Everyone is different, so everyone is interesting’. Through games, camps and other activities, they show students that a group is stronger when everyone works together; or if you all put your minds to the task you can achieve far more than if you are working alone. The Year 9s start to feel welcome as members of the Papanui High School family and gain the confidence to share their concerns, expectations and aspirations with their PSLs and new friends.
We had a fun and lots of laughs answering a few NZBBC quiz questions (e.g. Which of our organs are NOT paralysed during sleep? Answer – our heart, lungs and eyes) and having a go at some of the exercises the PSLs set the Year 9s to encourage them to meet and mingle.
The funding Papanui Rotary contributes for programmes such as these is essential to their viability and is tremendously appreciated by students and staff alike at Papanui High School. Thank you for visiting us Sophie, Phoebe, Cassie, Yoonki, Pippa and Leah; we enjoyed having you.